by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study music. at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 354 schools ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing music., using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Learn more about these veteran-friendly music. colleges below:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln tops our 2026 ranking of the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 91.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about music. at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Veteran students seeking a strong music. program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #2. It scores 91.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the music. program at University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great choice for veterans pursuing music., landing the #3 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 90.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full music. report for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ohio State University-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing music., landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 89.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the music. program at Ohio State University-Main Campus
James Madison University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about music. at James Madison University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor placed #6 among the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about music. at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Georgia placed #7 among the best music. colleges for veterans. University of Georgia scores 89.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about music. at University of Georgia
William & Mary came in at #8 for veteran music. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music. program at William & Mary
University of South Florida placed #9 among the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the music. program at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick placed #10 among the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 88.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the music. program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the music. program at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
East Carolina University came in at #12 for veteran music. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 88.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about music. at East Carolina University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University landed the #13 spot for veterans pursuing music.. The school's overall veterans score is 88.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the music. program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #14 for veteran music. students this year. The University of Texas at Arlington scores 87.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about music. at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University came in at #15 for veteran music. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full music. report for San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing music.. The school's overall veterans score is 87.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full music. report for University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas placed #17 among the best music. colleges for veterans. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about music. at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus placed #18 among the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 87.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full music. report for University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. Stony Brook University scores 87.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music. program at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach came in at #20 for veteran music. students this year. It scores 86.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full music. report for California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full music. report for University of Florida
Binghamton University ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music. program at Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus scores 85.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about music. at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about music. at Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about music. at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
These music. colleges also placed near the top this year:
To learn more, click any college name below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of North Alabama | 82.65 |
| 52 | California State University-Northridge | 82.46 |
| 53 | Florida State University | 82.43 |
| 54 | The University of Alabama | 82.38 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | University of Northern Iowa | 82.23 |
| 56 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 57 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 58 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 59 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 60 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 61 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 62 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| 63 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 64 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
| 65 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 66 | Middle Tennessee State University | 81.24 |
| 67 | Wayne State University | 81.19 |
| 68 | University of Iowa | 81.08 |
| 69 | Christopher Newport University | 80.94 |
| 70 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 80.92 |
| 71 | Towson University | 80.91 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying music.: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
